There are few places left in the world that remain undiscovered by tourists. Yet a handful still exist. They are places full of authenticity—places that breathe history and where the surrounding nature remains untouched by humans. One such place is the remote deserts of Saudi Arabia. These deserts are filled with red, jagged rock formations and mountains that rise directly from endless sand dunes. You will find no hotels or resorts here. It is a place where, aside from locals, hardly anyone ventures. And yet, there are a few photographers who have decided to travel here and document this region. Among them is Filip Hrebenda, who has visited the area several times. One of these expeditions resulted in the photograph “Into the Cave.” Let’s take a closer look at the behind-the-scenes story, as told by the author himself.

Until recently, Saudi Arabia was a very inaccessible destination for tourists and photographers. It was a highly closed country where tourism was not particularly welcomed. That changed a few years ago, when Saudi Arabia opened up to the outside world and lifted several restrictions, especially those that applied to women.

Years ago, I came across several photographs that made me realize Saudi Arabia is not just an ordinary desert country, but one full of beautiful landscapes worth exploring. In previous years, I used to exhibit my photographs every February at the international Xposure festival in Dubai. The same was true in 2025, and so I decided that since I would already be in the Middle East, I would visit a new area once again and try to document it through my camera. And in February 2025, I chose Saudi Arabia.

When the festival and exhibition ended, I boarded a plane and headed to the north of Saudi Arabia, to the small town of Tabuk, near which maps indicated the presence of interesting mountainous areas. For my expedition, I chose the Al Disah Valley, which, according to locals, is distinctive for its sharp, jagged rock formations.

After arriving, I rented a larger 4x4 vehicle and set off into the valley. After several hours of nighttime driving, I reached my destination—a small village called Al Disah, located at the edge of the valley of the same name. There were no large cities nearby, and at first glance, the village appeared completely deserted at night. Since there were no lights in the surroundings, I still couldn’t see just how beautiful the area actually was. In the village, I headed to a small farm where I stayed. It became my “base camp” for exploring the surrounding area over the following days. You will find no hotels or resorts here. It is a place where, aside from locals, hardly anyone ventures.

On the very first morning, I headed out to a nearby valley for sunrise. I found several very interesting desert compositions and, for the first time, truly saw where I actually was. The area I found myself in was incredible. It was not an ordinary desert—it was a gem that, until that moment, had been seen and known by only a handful of photographers. I was thrilled.

After sunrise, I decided to climb the surrounding mountains and search for interesting compositions. It wasn’t easy in the direct sunlight. Although it was February, the temperatures here were extremely variable. Before sunrise, they dropped below 41°F (5 °C), while during the day they climbed to nearly 86°F (30 °C). I spent several hours walking along the surrounding peaks when I suddenly came across a small cave.

First, I threw a few stones inside to scare away any possible scorpions or snakes. But nothing was hiding there. So I crawled inside. The view that opened up from there was excellent. The shape of the cave perfectly framed the jagged mountains in the background. It was around midday, and I didn’t have enough water to stay longer. So I noted the GPS coordinates and returned to my base camp to rest a bit and replenish my water. I knew, however, that I had to return to that spot later that evening.

Shortly after noon, the wind began to rise in the desert. It stirred up the ever-present sand, which was unpleasant—because when the wind blows in the desert, the sand truly gets everywhere: in your ears, eyes, nose, in your camera, and throughout your entire backpack. But I knew that such conditions could produce something exceptional. So I set out for the same place with the goal of photographing the evening golden hour or sunset there. Getting back to the same cave was not easy, as the terrain was rugged. I could only navigate using the GPS coordinates I had written down. After a few hours of climbing over rocks, I reached the cave again. Once more, I made sure there was nothing alive inside, then climbed in and set up my camera.

The scene was outstanding. The cave perfectly framed the sharp peaks—but not only that. Strong winds lifted the desert sand and swept it across the scene in front of the mountains. All of this was complemented by the light of the evening golden hour. I waited inside the cave for about an hour until sunset. During that time, I captured the photograph titled “Into the Cave.”

After sunset, I found a few more compositions for night photography with the stars. However, I knew that “Into the Cave” would be special. And it truly was. Just half a year after I processed and published it, the photograph began receiving international awards. Among them was first place in the Landscape category, selected from over 650,000 photographs in the worldwide Cewe Photo Awards competition.

Because of the effort that led to the creation of this photograph and the recognition it received, I included "Into the Cave" in the Prestige Collection of my fine art photography. It is a limited edition in which each fine art print is produced only five times—meaning that only five collectors worldwide can own this piece.